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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Launched and first sail (from terror to WOW)

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frankr
Captain

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256 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/20/2003 : 20:37:10

After one aborted delivery of our 250WK (we missed the best weather this year) our boat is deliverd - 40 degrees , mist and small craft warnings , our boat is in the water and in slip. WOW neato and other goodies. Dealer works on boat till 1840 in evening - and has to return. OH NO -no docking practice or quick run down about boat handling from dealer. Next day cold and foggy wind dying down. Saturday - Admiral, her son and I decide to take boat out thru channel to bay. - Get out of slip OK - white knuckles, tummy churning - this thing is HUGE (Capt. Hazelwood you have my sympathy). Mess with rudder and motor turning etc. Time to head back in (no sails yet). PANIC on first docking attempt, TERROR 2nd, 3rd and 4th attempts also. Feeling sick - will I ever get this beast docked. Several close calls with piers and nearby boats. Looking for piling to tie up to and swim ashore. Taking lots deep breathes - hyper ventilating now. Step son finally figures out problem is too much motor. AH just nudge motor and back to neutral. Much slower approach now - WOW we made it onto the slip - OK 2 foot smudge mark on port rub rail. Practice 8 more dockings then go out and sail for 45 minutes. Gee this is great. Next day very little wind so practice docking some more - survived Docking 101 and first sail. P.S. step son is a power boater - so they all aren't a menace.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2003 : 20:48:21

Frank,
At-a-boy Frank!
Let us know how it goes the first time you dock with 15+ knot winds abeam. My solution - keep your stern or preferably your bow into the wind until last possible second then turn sharply and scute into the slip before you start getting pushed sideways.
Good luck and enjoy!

Edited by - on

Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2003 : 21:03:56

Well thats what its all about. You are out there doing it not talking about it. Great for you. I can remember making all tha same mistakes myself. I might recomend you find someone near who knows how to sail and share the adventure. You might even take lessons. Have a good summer and be nice to the docks.

Doug&Ruth
Triska (Alberg 29)
Tacoma Wa.

Edited by - on

Tray
Navigator

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Namibia
224 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2003 : 22:39:09

Man...those were the days...just one short year ago for me. It's amazing how fast you learn how to handle your boat. Hang in there Frank.

Tray
C-250WB #554
"Weeny Bean"
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3da37b3127cce963eb621ece90000001010" border=0>

Edited by - on

ssteakley
Captain

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USA
467 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 00:46:42

Frank,
I bought my 250 from the original owner who agreed to go through several consecutive dockings ...we must have done 8-9 in a row. I was feeling pretty confident (there was mimimal wind that day). The next week end was the blessing of the fleet and no way were we going to miss that!..I Had my wife, son, Daughter in law and very youg Granddaughter on board for my first motoring. It was a 15 knot cross wind to my slip for sure. As I backed out the wind caught the relativly high free board of the 250 and I was sailing sideways down between the rows of slips, after (inside frantic) and (outwardly composed) attempts with the outboard I managed to point "Moon Chaser" out down the row (with the help of my 29 year old athletic son fending off boats from the bow.)There were at least 4-5 adults on the dock staring in agahst! The Moral of this story is do not worry, the nicks and dings will be erased with a bit of elbow grease and in just a few short months you will be able to handle the boat in all sorts of conditions (if you go out 2-3 times a week). Congratulations on the new boat..you will really love it 10 times more 2 years from now,
Steve

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc32b3127cce94d57c8cff3b0000001010" border=0> Moon Chaser #385WK <img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/forum1.gif" border=0>

Edited by - ssteakley on 04/21/2003 00:49:14

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 10:48:04

Frank,

Sounds like you had the rather typical new boat handling/docking learning curve to deal with and since you didn't have any major casualties(docks, boats, people,...etc), I would say it was a success.

In the process you've learned something that a lot of boaters never learn...to come into the dock nice and slooooooooooow! By coasting into slip while the boat is in nuetral, you've eliminated two things...speed and prop walk, which makes life a lot easier.

Here are some tips submitted by fellow sailors I got off the SailNet website.

"Never approach a dock faster than your bank account will allow."

"Remember, the difference between a good docking and a bad docking is often only a matter of witnesses, or the lack thereof."

"Always approach a dock at the speed in which you wish to hit it!"

And the one you learned on the first day out,

"To look like a pro when docking, rely more on coasting in neutral to make slow and gradual final movements than prolonged use of the engine. This takes prop walk out of the equation while in reverse."

<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>Don Lucier<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d904b3127cce9f7cd9ffdf1d0000003010" border=0>
North Star SR/FK

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 14:41:09

Suggestion (this is what we did).

Find a bouy in the harbor somewhere where there is plenty of water on all sides.

Pretend it is your slip. Practice the approach and docking maneuvers until you can stop right next to it. Then practice backing out. Go ahead and learn to back the boat and steer in reverse while you are at it.

Start out from different points so that you get practice from all wind directions.

If it's a windy day, strong currents, or you've lost confidence about your abilities (for whatever reason), before docking just return to your bouy. Make a couple of practice approaches that will get you ready for the current conditions.

One final thing -

Visualize in advance all the maneuvers you are going to make and practice "in your head" over and over again. USAF pilots are taught to do this and it's called "chair flying". It really works. Stop, close your eyes and do it right now.

Indiscipline 1978 FK #398

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Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 17:45:21

Way to go Frank,

I too believe in slow. I made sure that I had a prop on my motor (for both my 22, and now my 25)with the lowest pitch available.

Good luck and have lots of fun.

Frank Gloss
89WK/TR

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 18:15:50

Over the years...I've made a lot of mods and upgrades on my c250.... the first... was the softlink steering. The picture below is the latest rendition with a 2001 Honda and 3rd generation rudder.

<img src="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/softlink.jpg" border=0>

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224
<img src="http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/rr.jpg" border=0>
N/E Texas and Great Lakes

[url="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/"]Arlyn's C250 Mods n Cruisin Stories[/url]

Edited by - on

lhooks
Deckhand

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USA
19 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 21:48:54

A cruising friend of mine explained how friendly most anchorages
when cruising in the islands. The exception is when you show
everyone up by making a perfect approach, anchor drop and set...
the first time. People who do that are usually ignored. It
is appropiate to hesitate, have to adjust, or re-set the anchor.
This makes you look more normal and approachable.

So don't worry about looking perfect. If you hit it perfect
everytime, your neighbors will think you arrogant.

Of course, poking a hole in you neighbor's fiberglass can get
you ostricized too.

Leonard Hooks 250WK #580
"Jessica"
Waco, TX

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 22:20:03

Arlyn: How did you attach to the back of the Honda cowling?

Frank: The "prop walk" effect mentioned earlier is significant. Generally, it will push your transom to starboard (turning the boat to port) when starting in forward gear, and does the opposite in reverse. It is magnified when the boat is standing still or moving very slowly, and can be offset by turning the motor slightly, as if turning to starboard when starting in forward gear. Watch for it as you practice. If you use short bursts of the throttle and then idle or even jump out of gear, you can minimize the effect around the dock.

I like the suggestion to only go as fast as you're willing to hit the dock! 4000+ lbs. (?) takes a while to get used to. (5500+/- lbs for us C-25 folks.)

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2003 : 22:32:11

The line section is simply made to the bail on the cowling latch with a bowline. The bungee section has a stainless hook on it and is held a bay from scracthing the cowling by the way in which it is hooked. One could use a stainless hog ring and tape or shrink wrap the splice on the bungee and form a loop that is also caught by the bowline on the line from the rudder.

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224
<img src="http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/rr.jpg" border=0>
N/E Texas and Great Lakes

[url="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/"]Arlyn's C250 Mods n Cruisin Stories[/url]

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2003 : 23:12:32

IMHO stuff.

Unless you are very experienced, a big difference in expecting "an arrival" and a smooth docking is having a steerable outboard.

If a hull has the outboard offset from the rudder and the motor is fixed straight ahead, the boat won't respond unless it's moving.

In a cross-wind or current this makes docking a challenge for even an experienced pilot.

That's where the practice pays off... with that setup you have to approach the dock with enough speed to maintain steerage. This often generates the mix of terror and excitement that our original poster experienced.

Obviously, the best solution is to rig up one of those steering linkages for the outboard. It will turn docking from a terror nto a pleasure.

The most impressive docking I ever saw was at the end of a regatta where a skipper brought a San Juan 7.7 up to the dock under full sail in about 15 kts of crosswind. Spun the boat around once off the end of the dock.. (pretty much within one boat length) then bore in and ran up to the dock at 5 kts or better... dumped the sheets and had the boat glide to a stop in perfect position. Now THAT's confidence... and that's really sailing.

With my meager skills, I come in low and slow... sails down.

-- cb

Currently maintaining two holes in the water...'77 Venture 23 and new to the family,
'78 Catalina 25

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2003 : 08:42:25

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Always approach a dock at the speed in which you wish to hit it!"<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

In the early days, and even sometimes now, we called it the controlled crash.

<img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle>

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
<img src="http://www.flags.com/dreamimages/Flags/measurer.jpg" border=0>

Edited by - Duane Wolff on 04/23/2003 08:43:04

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